TechBoston has Moore
TechBoston was in dire need of a spark, and Shamar Moore proved to be the proper igniter.
The senior guard knocked down three straight 3-pointers to break open a close game as topseeded TechBoston pulled away from Hanover, 58-47, in a Division 3 South semifinal last night at Taunton High School. Moore tallied 12 points in the fourth quarter to finish with a gamehigh 22 points.
“Once the first one fell, it was a good feeling,” said Moore, who added five rebounds. “I was just looking to make shots and play some defense because we needed it.”
TechBoston (22-1) was in the middle of a garish 2-of12 shooting stretch when Moore began to dial it up from long distance. What kept the Bears ahead was their defense, which allowed Hanover (19-5) just six field goals in the second half.
“I’ve probably said it a million and one times this year, but we hang our hat on our defense,” said TechBoston coach Johnny Williams. “It kept us going tonight against (Hanover).”
Walter Dew-Hollis (16 of his 17 points in the first half) staked the Bears to an early 9-4 lead as he hit a pair of 3-pointers, but the Indians (19-5) hung in the game thanks to their dynamic duo of Matt Delahunt (14 points, eight rebounds) and J.P. Landry (18 points).
Trailing 35-28 at the half, the Indians had several chances to tie or take the lead in the third quarter, but couldn’t get the ball to drop. In a quarter with limited offense, Hanover outscored TechBoston, 9-5, but an inability to cash in at the end of third quarter proved costly.
With the game on the line, Moore was ice from beyond the arc. He knocked down a pair of treys to extend the lead to 50-43 with 2:43 left, then hit another one a few moments later to put the game out of reach.
“Toughness, passion, perseverance,” Williams said. “Those are just a few adjectives I could say about my team.”
TechBoston’s opponent in Saturday’s final will be Hingham. The second-seeded Harbormen (21-2) dominated from start to finish in defeating No.3 Falmouth for the second time this season, 65-58.
The two met in December with Hingham winning in triple overtime, 78-76. It was apparent early on that free basketball wasn’t in the cards. John Gates (17 points), who hit nine 3’s in the first meeting, got Hingham off and running as he nailed a pair of treys to stake his team to an early 20-6 lead.
The lead swelled to as many as 25 in the second quarter as Reggie Foster gave Hingham a boost off the bench with six firsthalf points to go along with big man John Lowther (10 points, 12 rebounds).
To its credit, Falmouth (20-5) battled back in the second half. Fueled by a 10-0 run, the Clippers got as close as seven behind the shooting of Duke Melton (16 points) and Eli Harris (15).
Girls
With 1:48 left in the first quarter, the entire Fontbonne team held its breath.
Going for a loose ball, star senior forward Annabelle Larnard tweaked the same knee that caused her to miss the final 11 games of the regular season and exited the game.
But Larnard didn’t sit out for long and returned to post a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds, along with collecting five assists and three blocks, to lead the No. 6 Ducks over seventhseeded Greater New Bedford Voke, 64-50, in the Div. 3 South semifinals at Monti Gymnasium at Bridgewater-Raynham High School.
Fontbonne (19-4) advances to Saturday’s sectional final to face Archbishop Williams for the second straight year.
“I had to really rally the kids. I called a timeout because I saw it happen and I could see the kids all looking at (Larnard),” said Fontbonne coach Clare Murphy. “She does it all for us. She’s probably the most versatile player I’ve coached in 20 years.”
Holding a 27-26 halftime advantage, the Ducks created separation with a 9-2 run to begin the third quarter. Larnard, Clarissa Garzon and Tasha Lima each converted buckets in transition, which didn’t allow GNB Voke (14-7) to set up its effective 2-3 zone defense.
The Bears only got within five points the rest of the way with Fontbonne keeping the Bears at bay.
Bridget Feldman had one of the answers by knocking down her third 3-pointer midway through the third quarter to extend Fontbonne’s lead to 39-31.
In the fourth, a trey by Kylie Morin cut the deficit to seven, but Larnard hit a 3-pointer the next trip down the floor and Lima followed with a layup for a 57-45 lead with 3:18 left.
“Hitting big shots is always good for momentum,” Larnard said. “I just play. I don’t think what a shot will do for the game.”
Fontbonne held a 15-6 first-quarter lead, but when Larnard went out, GNB Voke went on a 12-0 run to go in front. Jayda Fortin, who netted a game-high 25 points, and Lynsey Ramos (15 points) led the Bears.